Tom Hughs and Conor Regan - members of the only club team in the Junior Tour - are interested in attacking racing and can do more damage than they think in the week ahead (Photo: Caroline Kerley)
With only four Irish overall winners over the past 20 years at the Junior Tour of Ireland, the odds are not exactly stacked in favour of the home challengers, at least on paper, for the 2026 edition this week.
However, Matthew Walls of Cycling Leinster showed how it's done last year, claiming a stage win on his way to the final yellow jersey. And though only about quarter of this year's field is Irish (with only one Irish club entered) we definitely have the riders to do plenty of damage. Let's have a look at who the most likely lads are.
The most obvious place to start is the Team Ireland line-up; the group Cycling Ireland believes is the best in the country at present and most capable to bringing home the big prizes.
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Hugh Og Mulhearne and Darragh Byrne have both been competing for French team AS Villemur Cyclisme this season. And, unlike some of the young Irish riders who have joined foreign teams, they have raced quite a bit in Europe over the past two years.
Mulhearne also has Rás Tailteann under his belt, as he was selected for that race alongside fellow junior Fionn Killeen (Kilcullen CC Murphy Geospatial), who rides with him on the Irish team again this week.
Hugh Óg Mulhearne has really impressed this year and his and Fionn Killeen's ride in the Rás should stand to them this week (Photo: Fabien Lenfant)
Because of their exposure to longer and more intense racing, these three should have the edge on the other Irish riders in the field, not that it always works out that way.
But if it doesn't work out for them - or anyone else in the race starting today, Tuesday - it's not the end of the world.
Another man on the national team for this race, James Armstrong, has looked very, very impressive this season and seems to be constantly improving. He was one of the men of the race at the elite National Criterium Championships in Dublin in May.
He was also one of the strongest in the junior road race and TT at the National Road Championships in Co Mayo the weekend before last, taking silver in both, with Mulhearne taking 3rd in the road race.
And completing the Irish team line-up is Rian McCrystal. He is riding for Cannibal B Victorious this year but his exposure to European racing in the early part of the season was limited due to injury.
All five riders on the Irish team this year are capable of taking a stage win, without any doubt. Right now, Mulhearne and Armstrong look the strongest bets for the general classification.
Jack Woods is competing again this year in the colours of Belgian team, Crabbé-Dstny, and rides this Junior Tour as part of the Cycling Leinster team. He is one of this year's junior riders who had to get his Leaving Cert done before directing his full efforts to his racing.
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Jack Woods was one of those riders who took some time out for the Leavimg Cert and he will really want a stage win on his return to racing (Photo: Sean Rowe)
A very strong sprinter, and probably the fastest Irish rider in the race, the Carlow man is definitely capable of a stage win. This week would be the absolute ideal time to step up and take what would be the biggest win of his career.
Incredibly, and sadly, Kilcullen CC-Murphy Geospatial are the only Irish club team in this race. How times have changed.
They have a strong trio of riders in Tom Hughes, Conor Regan and Daithi Killeen, all first-year juniors. Hughes and Regan have both won races this year, and both rode very aggressively in the junior road race at the recent Nationals.
The temptation for all three may be to treat this race as a learning experience for next year, and no doubt it will a fantastic learning opportunity.
By the Kilcullen crew have proven ready and willing to race this season. And if they bring that attitude into this race they can achieve far more than learn from the week ahead.
Ulster always produces strong riders and this year is not different. Cycling Ulster's Caleb McGreevy, in particular, has shown a lot of promise. A European Youth Olympics rider for Ireland last year, he placed 8th in the MTB race. And though he is a first-year junior, he has every right to go into this race with stage win ambitions.
Adam Matthews, who rides for Banbridge CC, looked lively at the Nationals last weekend, going on the attack and riding strongly. He can count himself in. Curtis McKee and Riley Smith also know what it's like to win races and, on their day, they can impress this week.
And the same can be said for the Munster riders.
John O'Mahony (Newcastle West Cycling Club) and Tony Kenneally (Dungarvan CC) got up the road at the Nationals. They showed no fear and demonstrated their form ahead of this Junior Tour.
A wildcard for Munster may be Joshua Loos. He won the Cotter Cup two-day earlier this year. However, as a rider who has focused a lot on MTB during his fledgling career, we haven't seen much of him on the road. This would be a great week to show himself.
Munster's Ciaran O'Sullivan and Andrew Connolly were at the pointy end in the final of the junior road race at the Nationals, as was Ulster's James Mackey; something they can take great confidence from.
This is a field absolutely packed with foreign talent, especially from the US, while the British challenge will also be strong - it always is.
The American and British teams will make alliances between them if and when it suits. And the Irish - who are vastly outnumbered - shouldn't be afraid to do the same if the circumstances call for it. There is always greater strength in numbers.
